PTEROMALIDAE OF N.W. EUROPE 83 



Note. Asaphes hicens (Provancher) (= Euplectrus lucens Provancher, 1887 : 

 206-207) > A. fletcheri (Crawford) (= Megorismus Fletcheri Crawford, 1909 : 98, 

 <J $) ; and A. americana Girault (1914 : 114-115, <$ $) might all prove to be syn- 

 onyms of A. suspenstis (Nees), to judge by their respective descriptions. The latter, 

 however, are short, and I would not propose a definite synonymy without having 

 seen the type material of the North American species. 



Besides the characters given in my key, suspensus also differs from vulgaris as 

 follows : 



$. Head and thorax more brightly metallic, dark to bright green or blue, the propodeum 

 and petiole less bright. Head and thorax with rather less numerous bristles. Ocelli forming 

 a slightly less obtuse triangle (about 100°). Antennal scrobes rather less deeply excavated 

 (Text-fig. 79). Pronotal collar with the shoulders rather more rounded. Antennal pedicellus 

 relatively a little shorter. 



o*. Head and thorax tending to be a brighter green or blue ; legs, not counting the coxae, 

 yellow to testaceous, rarely with the hind femora slightly brownish-tinged. Bristles of head 

 and thorax, disposition of ocelli, antennal scrobes, and pronotal collar, as in female (see above). 



I have examined material which can be referred to suspensus from Britain, 

 Sweden, Germany and Central Europe. In Britain the species appears to be 

 much less common than vulgaris. 



Biology. Apparently similar to that of vulgaris. I have seen a number of 

 specimens reared from parasitized aphids on several species of plants but I consider 

 that the data is not sufficiently precise for inclusion here. Imagines July-August. 



HYPERIMERUS Girault 



Hyperimerus Girault, 1917a : 5. Type-species : H. corvus Girault, by original designation. 

 Mespilon Graham, 1957 : 4° 6 - Type-species : M. exiguum Graham, by original designation. 

 Mespilon Graham ; Peck et al., 1964 : 36. 



When describing Mespilon I compared the type-species with the description of 

 Hyperimerus, which I thought must be different. Boucek (19656 : 549) states that 

 he received specimens of Hyperimerus corvus Girault from Burks, compared these 

 with Mespilon exiguum, and concluded that the two were congeneric. 



Hyperimerus pusillus (Walker) comb. n. 

 (Text-figs. 75-78) 



Cyrtogaster pusilla Walker, 1833 : 383, $. 



Mespilon exiguum Graham, 1957 : 406-408, $, syn. n. 



Mespilon exiguum Graham ; Boucek, 1961 : 67, <J $. 



Type material. Cyrtogaster pusilla Walker. One female (LECTOTYPE), 

 bearing a Waterhouse label. Delucchi (1955a : 175) wrongly stated it to be an 

 Asaphes. 



Mespilon exiguum Graham. Holotype $, England, Berkshire, Farmoor, u.vi. 

 1955, from nest of Passer domesticus (L.) (/. K. Bates) in Hope Dept., University 

 Museum, Oxford. 



